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How we really listened to learners – Imagine If…

How we really listened to learners at a recent National Creative Learning Network event

Each year at its annual event, the National Creative Learning Network takes a current priority in education and works with local authority colleagues to explore it through the lens of creativity. In previous years, we have focused on attainment; skills development, and equity. This year, our attention turned to the curriculum – ‘curriculum’ meaning the totality of our education offer to young people. We wanted to know what they think of it and to talk about how it might be improved.

Our two ‘must haves’ were:

  • Learner voice – in order that professional dialogue was informed by children and young people’s experiences of education.
  • Creativity – it was essential that we adopted creative approaches and delegates were immersed in creative thinking from the outset. This meant not planning the content in advance, rather, having a framework within which conversation, ideas and reflections could flow, the content being generated through the power of the relationships and dialogue between the people in the room.

Our aims were to:

  • inspire, challenge and engage
  • equip delegates to be better able to deal with challenges in their own local contexts;
  • increase understanding of creativity and the role Creative Learning Networks can play in effective partnership working.

Imagine If…..workshops

Key to the success of the day, was the involvement of children and young people. Education Scotland’s Creativity Team devised a workshop that took place in Friockheim and Arkleston primary schools and Calderglen secondary school prior to the event.  As expert ‘users’ of  the education system, learners were asked to draw on the best and worst of their experiences, and use blue sky thinking to imagine their ideals, and to generate ‘Imagine if….’ statements to share their views and ideas.

Learner voice

Creative Learning Plan Chair, Christine Pollock, invited fifteen young people representing the three schools to take to the stage.

Delegates heard from pupils about their very positive experiences of undertaking a Civil Engineering Foundation Apprenticeship, which means they spend a third of their time in school, a third in college and a third with an employer. Being able to make clear links between all three was motivating for them and they spoke with confidence and purpose.

 

Next up, primary and secondary learners shared their own and their peers’ ‘Imagine if’ statements, which were at once funny, ambitious, thought provoking, profoundly moving and wonderfully creative. Here are just a few examples:

Imagine if the school was on a cruise and you learnt going to every country in the world and experiencing the culture.

Imagine if every day felt the same as when I got selected for the soccer sevens.

Imagine if school didn’t put massive pressure on exams. Imagine if it was OK to fail.

Imagine if instead of schools we learned through experiencing new things – through using creativity to work things out on our own.

Imagine if school was about skills, experiences, opportunities for everyone regardless of talent or ability. Each pupil reaches their own personal targets.

Imagine if we could always feel the buzz of inclusion like school shows and fundraising events.

Imagine if there were new ways to meet new people every day and to be able to develop with them.

Delegates reflected on and discussed their responses to the young people’s statements, and had the opportunity to ask further questions of the learners who joined table discussions as equals. Facilitated by a CLN coordinator (local authority creative learning lead), each group was invited to identify a key theme they would like to put forward for the focus of deeper discussion in the afternoon.

Emerging themes for afternoon workshops were:

  • Imagine if we, in real terms, Get It Right For Every Child
  • Imagine if we could improve relationships in school between teachers and learners and learners and learners
  • Imagine if we listened to learners
  • Imagine if every learning experience was fabulous – what would that look like, sound like, feel like
  • Imagine if the curriculum was bigger than the school
  • Imagine if we could improve our learners’ mental wellbeing at school in a meaningful way
  • Imagine if the curriculum offer was driven by the learners

Delegates self-organised into themed workshops groups, each of which was led by a facilitator who used creative tools and techniques, and drew on the views of the young people, to support exploration of their specific theme.

Through a final reflection, we discovered that the following themes had been discussed across a number of the workshop groups:

  • Who has the voice?
  • A clear understanding of what curriculum means
  • Interdisciplinary learning/different learning environments
  • The importance and impact of positive relationships (teacher- pupil and pupil-pupil)
  • Time and space to reflect and innovate
  • Be brave and take risks in leadership – new options / personalisation and choice / timetabling / flexibility / collaborative planning
  • GIRFEP (Person)
  • Quality of listening

To help close the event Calderglen pupils were invited to share:

  • one thing they’d been surprised by
  • one thing they were excited by
  • one thing they were disappointed by

They took the opportunity to thank everyone, and to say how surprised they had been by how open and receptive everyone was – they really felt listened to. They were surprised more young people from other schools were not there and suggested we have just as many young people as adults – a challenge for future events.

In order to encourage ongoing engagement following this event, we invited one of the young people to issue the call for feedback, and delegates were asked to share what they promised to do in the next week, and in the next six months. Our commitment is to share actions resulting from these actions via Twitter so that the young people can see what has resulted from their contributions.

In the next week, I promise to…

  • Speak to quality improvement manager to challenge council curriculum framework and enable us to “be brave” and create our curriculum – starting with “imagine if…”
  • Make plans for a set of teacher and head teacher engagement meetings to explore more creative ways of learning
  • Take a fresh look at the teaching approaches I use – are they enabling the best possible learning experiences?

In the next six months, I promise to…

  • Implement across my teaching responsibilities a range of creative teaching and learning approaches and gather feedback/voice from students.
  • Gather and evaluate pupils’ voice in preparation for School Improvement Plan 2019/20 being about curriculum improvement – involving all stakeholders.
  • Raise the profile of creativity in my local authority in particular at senior leadership level. Organisation of a conference with theme of creative leadership.

For us, the standouts were:

  • The buzz, enthusiasm and engagement in the room throughout the event.
  • The input from young people throughout the day. Calderglen HS were an example of what we all strive for in their participation and leadership
  • The joy of having a facilitation team who were also the end of day panel with such wide representation ( EA, SDS, GTCS, Creative Scotland, SCEL, Wood Foundation…..)
  • The use of approaches and methodologies that were themselves creative.

‘An excellent, thought provoking and inspiring conference. The young people’s voice and the importance of this was a highlight of the day.’ Participant

‘The young contributors were fantastic.  They were really clear about what they felt they needed from school education and teachers and also about what they had to give’. Participant

 

Delegate programme for educators – Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (26 May-3 June)

We are delighted to announce the delegate programme for the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (26 May-3 June), showcasing some of the world’s best theatre and dance for young audiences.

Tickets for delegates go on sale on 7 March at 10am

Click here for the full programme:

edinburghinternationalchildrensfestivaldelegatesprogrammefinal

 

From 7 March, you will be able to make bookings by phone or online
Phone bookings : +44 (0)131 228 1404
Online bookings: www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/delegates
Bookings are managed by the Traverse Theatre box office.

Registration is £10 and gives access to delegates-only events (free but subject to availability), networking opportunities, social events, a full delegate list and the festival delegate manual.
Tickets for the festival shows are £12 each.

Please contact our producer Pamela Walker if you have any queries or need any assistance.

We really hope to welcome you at our festival this year!

My Place Photography Competition – all year groups – there’s still time!

The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide heritage photographic project for schools.

It encourages children to look at their heritage in the places they live, and through the medium of photography, develop an understanding of the things around them.

http://www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk/my-place-photography/

WE WILL BE ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE 2017 COMPETITION FROM SEPTEMBER 2016, CLOSING DATE 31 JANUARY 2017.

All entries to the My Place Photography Competition must be submitted by a teacher or group leader on behalf of young people.

If you registered previously we will already have your details and you can enter your students’ work on their behalf.  Or Sign up now to become a member HERE and participate in the competition this year.

My Place Photography Competition and Learning Project

The Scottish Civic Trust’s My Place Photography Competition is a Scotland-wide heritage photographic project for schools.

It encourages children to look at their heritage in the places they live, and through the medium of photography, develop an understanding of the things around them.

http://www.scottishcivictrust.org.uk/my-place-photography/

WE WILL BE ACCEPTING ENTRIES FOR THE 2017 COMPETITION FROM SEPTEMBER 2016, CLOSING DATE 31 JANUARY 2017.

All entries to the My Place Photography Competition must be submitted by a teacher or group leader on behalf of young people.

If you registered previously we will already have your details and you can enter your students’ work on their behalf.  Or Sign up now to become a member HERE and participate in the competition this year.

Interactive Learning In Classroom Setting – Training Course

sreenshot-interactive

No need to wait for a slot in the school hall, this course will focus on practical, interactive learning in a classroom setting enriching class work and bringing topics to life.

Aimed at Primary 3-7  (although all Primary Teachers welcome, will adapt to suit all), techniques shown will be applied across curriculum areas enabling teachers to use them regularly, gaining confidence while motivating pupils and raising attainment.

Date – Tuesday 15th November

Time – 4.15-6.15pm  (Arrival from 4pm)

Venue – Fairmilehead Church Centre 1A Frogston Road West EH10 7AA

BOOKING DEADLINE MONDAY 7th NOVEMBER

Cost – £60

5 extensive lessons included, handouts and access to training video for hand down training to colleagues if required.

For full details and to register go to

Interactive Training Course Click Here

Interactive Learning In A Classroom Setting- Training Course

sreenshot-interactive

No need to wait for a slot in the school hall, this course will focus on practical, interactive learning in a classroom setting enriching class work and bringing topics to life.

Aimed at Primary 3-7  (although all Primary Teachers welcome), techniques shown will be applied across curriculum areas enabling teachers to use them regularly, gaining confidence while motivating pupils and raising attainment.

Date – Tuesday 15th November

Time – 4.15-6.15pm  (Arrival from 4pm)

Venue – Fairmilehead Church Centre 1A Frogston Road West EH10 7AA

Cost – £60

5 extensive lessons included, handouts and access to training video for hand down training to colleagues if required.

For full details and to register go to

http://www.thedramastudio.com/drama-teaching/teacher-training-in-service-courses

Dare to Dream

For the Attention of Headteachers, Faculty Heads and All Teachers:

We are aware that creativity is high on the agenda and is part of many School Improvement Plans for the upcoming academic year. For the first time creativity is embedded in HGIOS 4 quality indicators. We hope that this initiative is an easy way to progress creative learning in your school community with maximum impact, at the same time creating a positive and inclusive experience for pupils.

Invitation to All Schools:

We invite all schools in Scotland to be a part of our  Dare to Dream  campaign 2016.  The campaign  is an outreach initiative from this year’s  Scottish International Storytelling Festival and will run from September to November.

“Discover the stories of the past and dream the stories of the future. What are the stories of your local place? What stories would you tell to the world today, from the future of your dreams? Everything created must first be imagined: explore the possible and Dare to Dream!”

By taking part, your school will be contributing to a Scotland-wide initiative inviting and creating space for children to imagine their personal and collective futures, which in turn will build confidence to begin to make these aspirations and ambitions a reality.

The principles of creative learningactive learning and inclusion are embedded in this project. Through dreaming, the liberating power of the imagination is open to everyone – neither language nor disability are barriers to participation. The campaign is relevant to the entire school and to every subject area. Activities will also help meet outcomes in both Literacy and Health and Wellbeing.

In an ever-changing world, we believe that it is vital that children are educated about their role and the value they have in shaping a vibrant and sustainable future. By setting learning in the context of your local school and focusing on issues relevant to your pupils, our #DareToDream campaign provides a great opportunity for you to encourage children to think about their right to participate, empowering and enabling them to become active citizens, both locally and globally. We provide the context for learning and suggest tasks and activities, but there is no limit on where this engaging topic could be taken in the classroom.

How to Take Part:

We have made it as simple as possible for teachers to take part, with the options for engaging in more depth should the individual teacher so wish. In a secondary school context, we have suggested a simple activity that could take place in registration class.

Our info for teachers can be found on our website under the tab ‘For Teachers.’ This includes a schools’ toolkit and information about how to book a storyteller if you wish.

We have also worked in partnership with  heritage organisationsmental health organisationsartists and storytellers  to create simple resources for you to use. All additional learning resources will be available on our website when we launch our campaign to the public, the week beginning *Monday 22nd Aug.* Resources will also be available on GLOW.

If you are interested, please register your name, contact, school and postcode by clicking the link below. We will send you an update with links to all resources and materials.

Register your school here

Showcase your school online:

We will run a #DareToDream social media campaign for the duration of the main International Festival, from the 21st – 31st November. During this period we will make visible all contributions via our online platform. This is an opportunity to showcase your own school’s contribution with the wider community should you so wish in the form of a blog, video, photographs or otherwise.

As part of our social media campaign, we will have a special #DareToDream Day on Thursday 28th October. On this day, we will encourage every creative citizen in Scotland to share a dream for the future on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the campaign hashtag. Our aim is to make visible Scotland’s collective imagination for all to see!

www.daretodream.scot

#DareToDream

#CuirBrighRiBruadar

#DaurTaeDream

 

Scranalogue – the Scran Blog

Scranalogue is the new home for rolling news, features, updates on Scran collections, learning and teaching materials and insights into our outreach activities.

September | this month find out about

  • The Ian Landles Archive, an oral history collection from Scottish Borders Council Archive Service, featuring fantastic material about the First World War, the old Borders railway and the suffragettes. #clickhear #IanLandlesArchive
  • Scran’s work with Skills for the Futuretrainees on The Scotsman Collections, a rich seam of social history on Scran.
  • New Pathfinders about Scotland’s historic propertiesin English and Gaelic, developed in partnership with Historic Scotland.

Visit our blog to find out more.

We hope that you enjoy your visit to Scranalogue. We welcome your feedback – you can comment on individual blog posts or contact us directly by clicking on the Scranalogue contact link. Look out for regular Scranalogue updates via Twitter | follow us

Best wishes from the Scran Team

Scran – culture, heritage, learning | web www.scran.ac.uk | blog www.scran.ac.uk/blog | twitter @scranlife | email scran@scran.ac.uk

Creative Conversations (Edinburgh) June 3rd and 5th – Nicola Morgan

Creative Conversations  this is your invitation to chat to Nicola Morgan, award winning writer, speaker and creator of Brain Sticks: multimedia teaching resources about the brain and wellbeing and David Cameron. 

 

2 dates for your diary:

The next Creative Conversation,  titled ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, will be on:

 

  • Wednesday 3rd June at 30 – 5.30/5.45. Coffee and registration from 4pm and you can continue the conversation with Nicola, David and colleagues over wine and canapes from 5.45 – 6.30/7pm. Welcome from David Bruce, Senior Education Manager, City of Edinburgh Council.

 

OR

 

  • Friday 5th Juneat 00 till 4.15/4.30. You can arrive any time from 1.00pm onwards and a buffet lunch will be available – there will be a glass of wine offered after and you can continue the conversation with David, Nicola and colleagues (venue to follow with confirmation of attendance).

Flyers:

Creative Conversation Invitation 3rd June – Nicola Morgan

Creative Conversation Invitation 5th June – Nicola Morgan

This Creative Conversation is a rare opportunity to talk with Nicola about ‘Readaxation’ among other things. This Creative Conversation will of course be about creativity. It will consider what reading does to our brains and how the reading choices we make affect us. We will also talk about the extent to which we are justified in suggesting Reading for Pleasure as a part of health and wellbeing.

 

Nicola Morgan is an award-winning author of nearly 100 books, including the Young Adult novels Wasted, Fleshmarket (currently being adapted for the London stage) and Mondays are Red.

A former teacher and specialist in dyslexia, in the last ten years Nicola has become increasingly well known for her passionate work on adolescence, with her 2005 book on the teenage brain, Blame My Brain, being shortlisted for the Aventis prize and her recent title, The Teenage Guide to Stress, being snapped up by teenagers and their hard-pressed adults. She now writes and speaks internationally on subjects relating to adolescence and the reading brain, including a focus on reading as a route to

As always this will be a very popular Creative Conversation. This is your invitation and if you would like to come please get back to me directly. If you would like to bring a colleague, please tell me their name and job title. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. I’ll send full venue details and confirmation of your place next week.

 

Please be sure to let me know which date you would like to attend.

 

We look forward to seeing you on the 3rd or the 5th June.

Linda

 

Creative Learning Network: 

Education Scotland in partnership with Creative Scotland has awarded City of Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian Councils funding to develop the Creative Learning Network. This will be based on extending the very successful approach developed by Edinburgh which a number of other authorities have adopted and adapted.

 

Creative Conversations are opportunities for colleagues interested in creativity and education across all sectors to come together and engage in high quality professional dialogue. Each Creative Conversation has a creative catalyst and the conversation is facilitated by David Cameron (the real David Cameron!). There is always opportunity to continue the discussion over a glass of wine in an informal setting. Each Creative Conversation is in an interesting venue and over 2014/15 will take place across the 3 local authority areas. Previous Creative Conversations have included well known figures such as Tim Brighouse, Keir Bloomer, Frank Crawford, Laurie O’Donnell, Hywel Roberts, Eric Booth, Heather Reid and many others. Conversations are always about creativity and have covered technology, funding, self evaluation and  preparing for inspection (creatively!), science and art, flipped learning and much more. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is just about art – it’s about creativity in the widest sense.

 

 

 

Linda Lees | Service Manager, Arts and Creative Learning | Schools and Community Services | Children and Families | The City of Edinburgh Council, Waverley Court, Business Centre 1/2, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG | Tel 0131 469 3956 | Mobile 07917 825007 | mailto:linda.lees@edinburgh.gov.ukwww.edinburgh.gov.ukwww.edinburgh.gov.uk

Learning outside the classroom survey

The National Trust for Scotland is doing a piece of research that explores the motivations of teachers and administrators planning a visit to a historic site. We would like to understand how the NTS can proactively connect with schools, encourage them to use our resources and what support (if any) is needed to help schools access our sites.  We are looking to connect with teachers across Scotland via this survey and focus groups. If you have any questions or wish to discuss this further please feel free to contact Katey Boal (Learning Manager – Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre, kboal@nts.org.uk ). Thank you for taking the time to complete this short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NTSLEARNINGOUTSIDETHECLASSROOM